Naval Academy History Productions

Dr. Nicholas Cross, assistant professor in the USNA Department of History, discusses his recent book, The Roots of Cooperation:Constructing Interstate Alliances in Ancient Greece (University of Michigan Press, 2026).

Dr. Brannon Wheeler, professor in the USNA Department of History, discusses his recent book, Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

Dr. Brian VanDeMark, recently retired professor in the USNA Department of History, discusses his recent book, Kent State: An American Tragedy (W.W. Norton and Company, 2025).

Dr. Nicholas Cross, USNA, continues the story of Alcibiades -- the Athenian Statesman / General, strategic advisor to Sparta, and a defector to Persia.Dr. Cross's book, "The Roots of Cooperation: Constructing Interstate Alliances in Ancient Greece" publishes in November 2026 from the University of Michigan Press. 

In this Episode of Tell Me Another, Dr. Nicholas Cross (USNA), discusses one of the most fascinating figures in Greek history: Alcibiades. In his lifetime he served as Athenian Statesman, Athenian General, strategic advisor to Sparta, and a defector to Persia.Dr. Cross's book, "The Roots of Cooperation: Constructing Interstate Alliances in Ancient Greece" publishes in November 2026 from the University of Michigan Press. 

Captain Stan Fisher, USN, Permanent Military Professor, discusses his book Sustaining the Carrier War: The Deployment of U.S. Naval Air Power to the Pacific. Captain Fisher's book recently received the John R. Lyman Award from the North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH).

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss their choices for the strangest or most unconventional monarchs of all time.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

In Part Two of this series, Prof. Hayden Bellenoit, Prof. Thomas Burgess, and Prof. Matthew Dziennik continue their discussion of the Partition of India.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

In Part One this two-part series, Prof. Hayden Bellenoit, Prof. Thomas Burgess, and Prof. Matthew Dziennik discuss the Partition of India.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three co-hosts continue their discussion of three lesser-known yet significant US Marine Corps overseas interventions.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Three midshipmen interview Captain David Forman about his experiences as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, and lessons he has learned in his current capacity as Deputy Commandant. 

An interview of Dr. Milorad Lazic, concerning his recent book, Unmaking Detente: Yugoslavia, the United States, and the Global Cold War, 1968-1980 (2022).Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three co-hosts discuss three Marines whose remarkable exploits have had an impact on history that is not well recognized.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

In this Blue & Gold Series Podcast, Midshipmen Gavin Milligan and Peter Shaner interview Colonel James McDonough about lessons learned from his experience as a midshipman, and from his current capacity as Commandant of the US Naval Academy.

An interview by former Midshipman Nels Waraaniemi of Captain John Freymann, who reflects upon his remarkable naval career, his service in the Pentagon during 9/11, and twenty years of teaching in the USNA History Department.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Three midshipmen relate stories of their ancestors coming to the United States, and their early experiences in a new society.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Dr. Clementine Fujimura, the Academy's sole anthropologist, about midshipmen culture and traditions, and how they often emerge in response to the unique challenges of student life on the Yard.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

As a minister in Zanzibar's revolutionary government, Issa enjoys remarkable powers and privileges before he is accused of treason, and sentenced to death. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

In the 1950s, Issa leaves his native islands of Zanzibar and travels to five continents, searching for the knowledge and skills necessary to free his people from colonial rule.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss the lives and contributions of three less recognized figures who fought for civil rights in the United States.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Three midshipmen each relate the remarkable story of one of their ancestors, who served in either World War II, the Korean War, or in VietnamFollow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three co-hosts discuss three lesser-known yet significant US Marine Corps overseas interventions.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Dr. Lee Pennington on the life and career of Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Saito, in whose honor his family bequeathed the remarkable Pagoda Monument, standing today near Luce Hall.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

CDR Benjamin "BJ" Armstrong is a Permanent Military Professor in the Naval Academy History Department, and was selected for promotion to Captain this summer.  He teaches classes on American Naval History, Naval Strategy & Thought, and the department's Capstone Research Seminar.  He is the author or editor of 5 books, including Small Boats and Daring Men, which is discussed in this podcast.(Producer's note: Our host erroneously addresses Commander Armstrong as "Captain" during the introduction. At the time of recording, this is inaccurate. While it is true that Commander Armstrong was selected for promotion, he does not officially attain that rank until Summer 2023. We apologize for any confusion caused by our oversight.)Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Four midshipmen discuss the controversies surrounding John Brown's 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry, a key event leading to the Civil War. They also interview Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, author of Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (2019).This podcast was produced for the US Naval Academy History Department's HH200 course, "The Historian's Craft." Organized around a topic of the instructor's choice, this first of three required History Major seminars introduces 3/C majors to the intellectual and structural origins of the modern discipline of history, including subfields of history and methodological approaches. Students pose a research question and pursue a research design, including a mini-prospectus along with an annotated bibliography. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Dr. Craig Symonds, Professor Emeritus of the USNA History Department, regarding his remarkable career as an author and teacher, and his perspectives on how student life in Annapolis has changed since the 1970s.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

An interview of Dr. Tom McCarthy, of the Naval Academy's History Department, who discusses his recent book, Developing the Whole Person: A Practitioner's Tale of Counseling, College, and the American Promise.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

This two-part series relates the story of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the most important sea battle of the American Civil War.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

This two-part series relates the story of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the most important sea battle of the American Civil War.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss the three most impressive anti-colonial nationalists of all time.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Dr. Rae Jean Goodman, Professor Emeritus of the Academy's Economics Department, to discuss her perspective on evolving Brigade culture after female midshipmen were inducted in 1976 as well as her innovative efforts to further educate and support her peers through "Teaching Portfolios."Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

An interview of Dr. Frank Dikӧtter, one of the world's foremost historians of modern China, and a senior professor at the University of Hong Kong, about his most recent book, China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower (2022).Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discus the most consequential natural disasters in world history.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Midshipman Alexander Turner interviews Dr. Lawson Brigham about the challenges of commanding Coast Guard vessels in polar waters, recent innovations in ice breaking technologies, and the commercial potentials of the Arctic Sea.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Dr. Stephen Wrage, of the Academy's Political Science Department, regarding his views on academic freedom, and the apolitical nature of the US military. In addition, Dr. Wrage shares some remarkable personal experiences gained while teaching in Annapolis, Singapore, and Greece.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

 In the 1850s, the notorious filibuster William Walker recruited hundreds of followers and launched multiple campaigns to seize power in Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss their favorite television adaptations of historical events.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

An interview of Dr. Gene Smith, of the Naval Academy's History Department, who discusses his book, The Slave's Gamble: Choosing Sides in the War of 1812.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Two midshipmen interview Lieutenant General John Wissler, currently the Distinguished Chair of Leadership at the Naval Academy's Stockdale Center, regarding lessons in ethical leadership he learned both as a student at the Naval Academy in the 1970s, and in a long and distinguished career as a Marine Corps officer.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Four midshipmen discuss the social and economic impact of the Industrial Revolution.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss and debate the most consequential commodities of world history.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Three midshipmen interview Vice Admiral Sean Buck, Superintendent of the US Naval Academy, who reflects upon the lessons and experiences he acquired as a student in Annapolis, and during his long and distinguished service in the fleet. In addition, Superintendent Buck discusses the impact of the Covid pandemic upon the unique mission and culture of the Academy.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

An interview of Dr. Sharika Crawford, of the Naval Academy's History Department, who discusses her recent book, The Last Turtlemen of the Caribbean: Waterscapes of Labor, Conservation, and Boundary Making.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Four midshipmen discuss the remarkable innovations in Western military technology that took place during World War I.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss and debate their favorite historical film treatments.Follow us Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Three midshipmen interview the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, about his memories of the Naval Academy, as well as lessons in leadership he has learned during his long and distinguished naval career.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

During World War I, Germany sends a covert expedition all the way to Afghanistan to convince the Muslim emir of that land to launch a jihad against British India.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Midshipmen Hassen, Henderson, Ostrowski, White, and Williams discuss French struggles for and against democracy, from the Revolution through the Second Empire of the 1870s.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

Our three faculty co-hosts discuss and debate the most impactful US elections up until World War II.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/

An interview of Sharon and Tim Disher, who recall the struggles faced by some of the first female midshipmen attending the Naval Academy in the 1970s.Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @usnahistoryFor more information about NAHP and the Naval Academy's History Department, please visit https://usna.edu/History/NAHP/